I attended Cottonwood for seven years and graduated in 2023. I know a lot of people who loved CCPS,…read moreand in many ways, I did,d too. A few of the teachers are still some of the best people I know, who inspire, support, and advocate for their students unconditionally. I have an immense amount of gratitude and respect for these individuals and the role they play in young people's lives. That being said, Cottonwood is not the school for everyone. While it can be an overwhelmingly positive experience for students who are actively seeking extra academic challenges, for others, it may not be the right place. In terms of specifics, the STEM programming throughout middle and high school is severely lacking and does feel weaker than in other public schools. As someone who is in a college pre-medical program, this difference in STEM education between my peers and me is definitely noticeable. Just something to consider if you or your child is passionate about pursuing a career in that field. Another note worth considering is the role mental health can play in determining whether or not to attend CCPS. For juniors and seniors, the only classes available are part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. While this program can be incredibly beneficial for some students, it is known to exacerbate existing mental health conditions for students who have them. Additionally, there is very little support for students who struggle with mental illness, and some teachers are even hesitant to respect 504 accommodations. In my experience, it seemed like student mental health wasn't a priority while I attended, but I'm hopeful that has since changed in the last couple of years. Ultimately, Cottonwood has its pros and cons, just like any other school. When deciding whether this is the right place for your family, you must take into account your individual needs, goals, and circumstances. Some students thrive here, and others don't. Both experiences are valid, and I truly believe that the current administration is proactively looking into ways to improve their existing problems for future students.

I attended this school all the way from sixth grade until I graduated in 2024. For parents…read morewondering whether or not to send their kid here for school, I would say that it is definitely worth it for middle school. Cottonwood is a safe environment and is free from many of the negative influences prevalent at so many Albuquerque middle schools. Additionally, your kid will go into high school ahead of their peers. However, there are many issues I have with this school, that make me hesitant to recommend it as a high school. These problems mainly boil down to not giving the students a voice, and trying to fix problems that don't exist while avoiding the ones that actually harm the school environment. One of the biggest claims that Cottonwood makes is that they care about equity and inclusion, but from my experiences, that is not the truth. There is very little diversity, both racial and economic, so much so that my graduating class of 69 people included one singular Black student. I also know an Indian student who left the school to attend La Cueva because the lack of diversity made it hard to attend Cottonwood. A few of my female friends also reported one of our male peers in a Title IX case involving verbal, physical, and sexual harassment, and this student was not reprimanded, and as far as I know there is no record of their report attached to this peer. I personally have had many issues with equity in sports, I joined the varsity cross country team as an eighth grader and this program became one of the only reasons I stayed at Cottonwood. This program is one of, if not the most decorated at the school, and yet our needs were continuously ignored, and our requests often times met with hostility. We share uniforms with the Track and Field program, and these uniforms have been worn for around five or six years. After 10+ seasons of use, they have become very beat up, and we no longer have enough uniforms for everyone. It has gotten so bad that athletes from other teams have come up to me to ask how old our uniforms are, and our teammates have to share uniforms, taking off jerseys to give to another person in between events. When we inquired about getting new uniforms, we were told that we were out of luck since teams get new uniforms every three years, and although last year was our year, we got new warm ups instead. This is despite the fact that two programs share the uniforms so really we should get new ones every 1.5 years, and despite the fact that the Volleyball and Basketball programs have gotten new uniforms and/or warm ups almost every, if not every year for as long as I have been competing in cross country and track. When we asked if we could fundraise for new uniforms we were told we were not allowed, because it would be unfair to the other programs. It also took the school 6 months and a year to hire a new cross country and track coach, respectively, when both of these coaches quit. However, when the boys basketball coach left it took a mere month to replace him, with no disruption in training. These experiences represent an overarching theme of my time at Cottonwood: I didn't feel like I mattered, and it felt like the administration and some of the teachers enjoyed exercising power over teenagers rather than actually helping these students grow as people. It is also worth mentioning that the school has an incredible organization issue that makes it hard to get anything done. So, in the end, parents, if you send your kid here and they express interest in leaving, I implore you to at least listen to what they have to say.

used to go to this school but I got expelled but other than that it was a good school the kids…read morewhere alright Their teachers were good Mr. Hzhy is the best teaher out the he is one of my favorite teachers and the principal was always on the top I'm just kidding. Our good. My brother still goes here. The math teacher for seventh grade is in the world. I'm sorry to be so mean but why you so mean the I loved it. I mean, I got jumped, broke my thum , but it was good.

I go here everyone always says it is the greatest school ever personality I feel like it is just…read moreaverage school normal public school we have a great band program and most teachers are nice and have good classes sendings if you like political stuff then don't go here many students and son teachers don't like Republicans you have good kids here and smart kids but expect stupid kids to the community school sending that's here is ok in some ways but overall just an average school

We couldn't be happier with our choice of Bosque School. As a parent, I toured Sandia Prep and…read moreAlbuquerque Academy as well, but Bosque stood out for several reasons that continue to prove themselves year after year. What makes Bosque different is the community. The small class sizes mean my child isn't just a number -- every teacher truly knows them, checks in regularly, and encourages them to take healthy risks. At Academy, we felt the culture was much more high-pressure and competitive, and at Sandia Prep the environment was good but not quite as personal as Bosque. The academics at Bosque are rigorous, but not overwhelming. My child is challenged, supported, and actually enjoys learning. The senior thesis and independent projects prepare students for college in ways that go beyond test scores. At Academy there are more AP courses, but the trade-off seemed to be higher stress and less balance. Another unique strength is how Bosque uses its location in the bosque (river forest) for science, service learning, and hands-on projects. That connection to nature, plus strong arts programs, has given my children experiences they wouldn't have had elsewhere. Social-emotional support is woven into the culture, which was important to us. We wanted a school where our child would be seen, known, and valued -- and Bosque really delivers.

I was the second employee of Bosque. When I started, we had no teachers or students. However we had…read morePeggie Findlay's vision, a great board and support of the community. Now look at them 35 years later! So proud of the school.

Very chill, dope cars all around and very intelligent students all over campus. Duke city is funread more

Great school! Great teaches & staff. Lance Smith is AMAZING, he does everything right! We love…read morecoach Shep too :). Go girls bball!

This school has helped my son so much. He has come a long way with help from the staff. The school…read moredoes its best to make sure the kids have a great learning environment. They are advocates for any child's education.

Worst middle school I have been in, major disrespect from both students and teachers, boys bathroom…read morebeing closed for a day or longer from constant vandalism, only one stall has a working lock and three being broken or full on removed with the second stall with a working lock being half bent and easy to push. Only half of teachers are actually respectful and know how to properly teach a class, the majority I had seen do not know how to even teach anyone. Not only are some teachers disrespectful, the Principal is the worst staff in the school, he is hostile towards the students during school hours in his office, making many student uncomfortable including even almost touching a student on the stomach, made female workers leave due to sharing their own opinions and even going far as to putting his own photos for a school yearbook and covering up designs that the teachers have been working on without informing them. Not only did the Principal do these horrible things, he believes that children that are special needs need to work harder, not believing that they should have more help, not believing they truly need more help than most students, he believes they need to work harder. The hostility of the teachers are sometimes slightly severe, yelling towards students, cursing right in front of them, and making some students feel incompetent in their skills at learning one subject, and sometimes giving students barely any time to write down notes during class. Hostility with students moderate, only high amounts of disrespect, such as trying to provoke teachers and other students, almost every student in the school cursing and flipping eachother off, vandalism of property, constant stealing from other students, immediately getting off task, causing some physical harm to students and harassment such as throwing things across rooms, poking, tripping, or calling eachother vulgar insults. Do not send your child to this school unless you want your child to be struggling in high school and in life.

best school ive ever been too, amazing staff, courses in class, best community. highly suggest nex…read moregen, love them

Great school amazing teachers great classes great all in general small aps school would highly…read morerecommend

I'm only giving 4 stars because I have not actually interacted with the Jimmy Carter staff, but…read morefrom what I can tell it is a great School. My son is starting sixth grade at Jimmy Carter Middle School this year and I have only been inside the school during school registration, so cannot comment on how it is throughout the year just yet. The school is very modern and seems to be well taken care of. There are five buildings and forty portable classrooms. The staff so far has been very nice and very helpful and making my son's transition into Middle School great.

Jimmy Carr Elementary newly-built modern up-to-date and plenty to do for the kids. People knock…read morepublic education but it is what you make out of it

My child started kindergarten at the Carmel location. My child has been crying and not wanting to…read morego to school because of bullying from other children and yelling from the teachers. My child was reading when they left preK and has since significantly regressed. All concerns brought up to the teachers have been ignored. No disciplinary actions have been reported to me, and there are no incident reports being made about injuries. No parents are allowed in the building and the teachers are unable to tell me what kind of " science" they're learning. I have no way to support my student at home without proper communication. What I'm told by my student is that all lessons are done with videos. This is not the Montessori way! 14 + years experience teaching and you don't have curriculum to share? Very odd.

Our daughter attended this school for 3.5 years. While the first year was good, we pulled her out…read moredue to concerns over her physical, emotional, and academic well-being. She was physically assaulted 3 times during one school year by male classmates, some of her teachers and administrators were unprofessional, and her academic performance was deteriorating. The school was found by the state to be in violation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and we've been made aware of multiple FERPA violations as well. In addition to concerns for her well-being, we had concerns over the school's use of taxpayer funding. They recently settled a lawsuit arising from the ousting of their previous director. The school's insurance paid over $200k, and the school's taxpayer-funded premiums skyrocketed. This information is readily available from Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) requests to the school, the local court, and their insurance provider NMPSIA. The school's HR director installed his daughter as the principal without evidence of a competitive application process. This administrator additionally arranged for the undocumented and uncompensated use of 5 acres of school property, despite the excessive watering costs and farm chemical risks. The administrative assistants were fantastic, but not enough to make up for the school's bigger problems. Since then, we transferred our daughter to a public school in Rio Rancho, where she is thriving. We should have pulled her out sooner. Brian Freno, PhD

I went to this school it's a nice school but I remember a lot of bullies and mean kids from last…read moreyear and Ms.Ellie is the worst teacher ever also Brianna Burt they were horrible teachers but otherwise it's a great school!

I guess when your second grade kid comes home from school and says she is just so happy she can't…read morestop smiling you probably found the perfect environment. She absolutely loves her teacher, as do we all, and shows visible glee in doing her assignments. Over the years I've seen her confidence blossom by leaps and bounds. The assignments are fun meaningful and often engage the family. Working on these science, reading, and math projects on a regular basis has been a definite bonding experience for us. I've been on a couple field trips and the kids in Krystal's class seem really nice and friendly. The parents are very open, volunteer and participate in many of the extracurricular fundraisers and activities. I feel a sense of community that we are all very invested in.

came into the front office and they said that my schedule would come in on the 1st of August and I…read morewaited 2 days to come back to a email saying that the schedules weren't ready. I was furious after working my shift from Wal-mart and receiving such sacrilege email. There are not enough words to express my feelings. Will not be attending here ANY time soon after I graduate.

Holy! If you want to know how an inspiring campus feels, then visit Atrisco Heritage Academy High…read moreSchool [ http://aha.aps.edu ] since it will be better than some of the community college campuses and most high school campuses that we can compare it to. Just check out their school grounds to see how professional and up-to-date the classrooms are. Simply because the buildings are so nice and because technology is utilized in the classrooms, this place earns two of the four stars. Good job Atrisco Heritage Academy (AHA) High School! Locals refer to this high school as AHA [pronouncing it like "Ah-ha"]. A few just say Atrisco or Atrisco Heritage. The students that I have talked to state that they do like or love AHA, and I always tell them how lucky they are to have such a wonderful campus. They agree. They also know that their student body is the largest group of students in the state of New Mexico. Needless to say they are good with crowds. At this age many students really value having friendships and being social, so the more the merrier. Such large numbers add up, but sometimes this can be negative because it is known that teachers have to share classrooms with other teachers. Some employees are okay with this, but if you are the type of educator that needs her or his own room, then make sure you are guaranteed your very own classroom if you decide to teach at AHA and would like your own domain. Of the teachers and educational assistants that I have had the pleasure to work with tell me that they are happy at AHA -- adding in that the administration makes a huge difference, for the administration is supportive and useful. Way to have it together! So far everyone I have spoken to and interacted with at AHA are super. From these moments and feedback AHA earns two more stars. I have not talked to any parents that have their children at AHA, but some of the neighborhoods that the students live in are the newer "cookie-cutter" homes [note that those homes are still very nice though]. One of my good friends lives in one of those so-called neighborhoods that is in the AHA school boundaries, and my friend has no complaints with the neighborhood children. Parents really ought to send me their thoughts to let me know how happy you all are with AHA. I'd be interested in your experiences because parent involvement is an integral part of student success. Different levels of employees have stated that AHA has the largest feeder of students that go on to attend the University of New Mexico. This is great, so do not let AHA's grade report [ http://www.rda.aps.edu/RDA/ReportCard/index.cfm ] get you that down. It's like that old saying goes: You get out of it what you put into it. Since most of us parents succeeded in going through high school, we can nod to that.